19 Aug 2020

started searching this morning through the notes saved on my phone for a particular note relating to my air conditioner zones – while the tradesman stood there waiting patiently. I flicked through lots of these diarrhoea notes. I flicked through lots of shopping lists, of password hints, of websites and interesting things I’d made a note for myself so I don’t forget. I flicked through travelogues I’d written, notes of places I’d like to visit. Notes of recipes, note about dimensions of wardrobes and rugs, notes about weed killer recipes.

I have a lot of notes.

Eventually I found the note relating to the air conditioner zones, but it really took me a long time. Long enough for me to feel a bit embarrassed about the amount of ‘stuff’ I consider to be important information on my phone.

So, in between chasing my grandson around the house and his playgroup this morning, I went on a little organisation exercise with the phone.

I can make files to organise my notes on the phone – I had utilised this to keep all the HLD notes together, but that’s the most I had previously achieved in the organisation field. The rest of it???. Hundreds of little notes about all sorts of rubbish.

My notes about all sorts of rubbish are now categorised. There are 12 files, holding all these very important bits of stuff that I may, one day, maybe, possibly, need to lay my fingers on.

Want to know what my air conditioner zones relate to? They are saved under property (along with the wardrobe dimensions and weed spray recipe). My frequent flyer number for KLM? Under PW/Memberships, along with passwords for all sorts of things (not the actual password, of course, but subtle hints like – same as bike padlock plus church alarm code and hash). Photographic settings for taking pictures of auroras? Under photography. Newspaper transcript of my great grandfather Lucas’s funeral? Saved under history. The place I bought perfume from on a trip to Europe a long time ago? Saved under travel.

So many things that I (kind of) knew I’d saved. So many important pieces of information that otherwise may have caused me to look a little embarrassed at having to say “I can’t remember”.

Isn’t it interesting what we’d be concerned about. My copious note taking saved me from having to say “I can’t remember”. My copious note taking caused me to have to say “It’s here somewhere, I just have to find it”. My copious amount of notes now being neatly organised has saved me from both of those things, and has now given me the confidence to face the world (and tradies who want to know about which room is controlled by zone 3).

I’m organised, dammit!*

*This statement applies purely to the notes section of my phone. And it only applies on 19/8/2020, at around 2pm. Anything after this date is pure chance.

Now who’d like the limoncello recipe? It’s saved under food.